Major hotel washed away in Kalam as rains wreak havoc in Swat

A major hotel in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa's Kalam valley was swept away by flood waters in footage that emerged on Friday, as rains continued to wreak havoc in the Swat district, the tip of the proverbial iceberg that is the flood situation in Pakistan that has claimed the lives of nearly a thousand people.

The hotel was located on the bank of the Swat River in Kalam. It was evacuated timely, and no casualties were reported, according to Geo News. Other hotels near the river were also cleared out following the incident.

Meanwhile, a National Highway Authority (NHA) alert has been issued for tourists for the towns of Bahrain and Kalam in Swat. The alert said that a flood-like situation has developed in the district due to heavy rain.

It said that the Bahrain-Kalam section of the N-95 and N-90 highways have been severely damaged by the downpour.

A spokesperson for the NHA said that flooding has affected the Bahrain bridge as well as the approach road and that aside from the Bahrain-Kalam road, the surrounding tracks have also been impacted.

"Tourists and locals in Swat should avoid unnecessary travel," the spokesperson said.

Emergency declared

The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government has declared an emergency in Swat after the scale of devastation caused by the flooding.

The state of emergency will be in effect until August 30 for relief efforts in flood-affected areas of Swat, a notification by the KP relief department stated.

KP CM Mahmood Khan has directed the Provincial Disaster Management Authority (PDMA) to expedite relief activities in the area besides timely provision of grocery, cooked food and other items to the affectees.

According to the district administration, communication bridges in Matta, Sukhra, and Lalko in Swat have also been damaged.

A number of hotels and restaurants have been submerged on the Mingora Bypass, and Swat Mingora Bypass Road has been closed for traffic due to inundation.

In Nowshera, meanwhile, public and private schools have been closed for two days due to flooding, the deputy commissioner said.

KP issues flood advisory

In a flood advisory issued on Friday, KP’s Provincial Emergency Operations Centre said that water flows in River Swat at Khawazakhela point and its tributaries/nullahs had reached high to very high flood levels — 227,899 cusecs — which “may result in a dangerous situation for communities living nearby”.

The deputy commissioners of Swat, Lower Dir, Malakand, Mohmand, Charsadda, Mardan, Nowshera and Peshawar have been instructed to "immediately identify vulnerable points and communities at risk to devise mitigation and safety measures".

“Maintain enhanced alert level and monitor the developing situation to reduce reaction and response times,” the centre said, calling for the sensitisation of people living on the banks of the rivers about the increase in water flows.

“Make announcements for timely evacuation of the at-risk population from low-lying/flood-prone areas as per evacuation plans,” it added.

The PDMA also instructed authorities to evacuate cattle from areas at risk of flooding, as well as restrict vehicle movement there.

Scale of devastation across Pakistan

Abnormal rains have triggered flash floods and wreaked havoc across Pakistan since June.

The scale of devastation can be gauged by these numbers released by National Disaster Management Authority

The death toll from recent rains and floods has reached 937 while 1,343 have been injured.

In the last 24 hours alone, 34 more people died in KP, Sindh, Balochistan, and Punjab, while 50 were injured.

The total number of animals that died in the rains hit 793,995  after 85,897 more died  in 24 hours.

Moreover, in the last 24 hours, another 175,069 houses were damaged, taking the number of damaged houses to 670,328.